State rep candidate Donahue says his familiarity with 16th District is a strength

Monday

Jul 29, 2013 at 6:00 AMJul 29, 2013 at 9:24 PM

By Steven H. Foskett Jr., TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WORCESTER — For Daniel M. Donahue, the desire to run for state representative in the 16th Worcester district stems from his deep roots in the district and his love for the city.

Calling himself a "son of the district," Mr. Donahue, 26, still lives near his parents on the Quinsigamond Village side of College Hill. He said his familiarity with the district is one of his biggest strengths as a candidate.

He said his experience working for former Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray and Mayor Joseph Petty has readied him for dealing with a variety of issues at the statehouse and in the district.

Mr. Donahue, director of policy and assistant chief of staff for Mr. Petty, said creating collaborations and securing funding for projects in the district is key, but using the "bully pulpit" of public advocacy is also an important role of the state representative.

Mr. Donahue said the district has its share of challenges. But he said he is encouraged by the experimental policing district in the Grafton and Vernon Hill area, and said as a legislator, he would fight for safe, secure, neighborhood schools.

Mr. Donahue said that while talking with voters, a constant theme, particularly with elderly residents, is taxes. He said his conversations have helped shape his proposal to support a home-rule petition to shift residential units with more than six units to the commercial tax rate.

"I'm looking to give municipalities opportunities rather than relying on that most regressive of taxes, property taxes," Mr. Donahue said.

Bringing economic development to the district would go a long way toward easing the burden on taxpayers, he said.

"How do we drive economic development in the district?" he asked. "How do we bring the middle class, solid jobs back to this district that we've been missing for a long time?"

Route 20 and Quinsigamond Avenue should be a central part of any plan for growth in the district, Mr. Donahue said. Route 20 is currently held back by sewer issues, but is conveniently located and has access to two Massachusetts Turnpike interchanges.

"You look there, and you look at Green Island, Quinsigamond Avenue, even the backside of Wyman-Gordon, it's ripe for development," he said. "You can bring in those solid jobs, and a lot of that is the government's responsibility, to bring in the infrastructure you need."

He said any development should be aimed at bringing in businesses that provide real, living wages for residents, pointing to the Gateway Park development downtown as an example.

The foreclosure crisis is a real problem in the district, and Mr. Donahue pledged to use his position as state representative to go after banks and to try to secure any settlement money coming from the attorney general's office.

"You have to talk to the banks and tell them this isn't a problem on a balance sheet, this is a blight on our neighborhoods," he said. "As a state rep, you can reach out and really champion whatever the issue is."

He said he envisions his role as state representative to also include being forward-thinking. A proposal for a slots parlor in Green Island that failed, but has reappeared in nearby Millbury, is on Mr. Donahue's radar.

"We don't have control over that boat, but if that does happen I want to see that mitigation money. I want to represent and advocate for my district, who might see negative consequences," he said. "I will reach out to the Gaming Commission, to the state delegation, and say, 'All right, let's make sure we can deliver this for the district, and let's advocate for these choices.' "

Noting that the new Millbury proposal is closer to his home than the Green Island proposal was, Mr. Donahue said it might make sense to put any mitigation funding the city receives into a trust fund to pay for infrastructure improvements.

The son of a carpenter and a schoolteacher, Mr. Donahue described himself as a Democrat who believes that government needs to serve its citizens and preserve security nets that have been in place since the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. He said he developed a strong passion for urban studies while attending the College of the Holy Cross.

"At Holy Cross, I engaged in some community seminars with Frank Kartheiser of Worcester Interfaith, and from those experiences I was able to learn how in communities you can create coalitions, and create power, and actually make positive change," he said.

He said he opposes reinstating the death penalty, and supports the right to gay marriage. He doesn't believe in fixed term limits, although he said he doesn't plan on serving for life. He said he does plan on being accessible and returning phone calls.

"If you do call me, I already will know the next phone call to make," he said. "I will already know where to get the resources to bring to bear, whether it's a pothole or whether it's something larger, like facing health insurance forms."

Mr. Donahue said the district is an area of the city ripe for incredible positive changes.

"I absolutely love this city," he said. "It's an incredible, vibrant place, with an incredible history. You're feeling that turn, my generation is seeing that change. People are staying, people are moving in, and that's really what gets me going."